Stopped chasing Aeroplan/AC status altogether.
0 AC flight miles earned in 2015
0 flight segments credited to AC in 2015
(I think I'm silver with AE credit card spend.....whatever...)
From SE to a Kettle in relatively short order.
I did value SE status. What I liked: priority lines, upgrades, lounge access. I appreciated the other benefits but rarely used them.
What I learned this year is how much I don't miss YYZ and YUL. I'm not dissin' YYZ or YUL, but when chasing AC status from YOW, there are going to be a lot of connections; especially considering most of my flights are into the US. Flying to and from YOW always meant a second round of security screening when the connection city was YYZ or YUL then into the US. Quite often, another connection might be required as well. Arriving into YOW, passing through Customs/Immigration is a breeze over YYZ/YUL
What I prefer over AC Status is now is I fly out of YOW to one of several US hubs, then connect if necessary. Yes, I've got *Gold with UA now. Might even make 1K.
AC status was fine when I thought it was convenient. I've learned now the cost of attaining status when based from outside an AC hub requires far more effort and time than I was prepared to give them.
Last edited by nowinyow; Aug 16, 2015 at 11:42 am